'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Glen Durrant produced a belligerent display to dispatch off two-time world champion Gary Anderson 7-4 and move to the top of a congested Premier League Darts table. Other notable results included wins for Peter Wright, Michael Smith and Nathan Aspinall with a draw in the other match of the night.
A clash of World Champions started the occasion, this week visiting Cardiff, as current World Champion Peter Wright took on the winner of the 2018 edition, Rob Cross. Despite the previous meetings having Cross two to nil up on 'Snakebite' with two Premier League draws in last year's event, Wright stormed ahead of last year's Premier League finalist to open up a 3-0 lead, averaging a staggering 112.
Cross, as usual, refused to lie down however and pulled it back to 3-2 with an impressive 127 checkout on the bullseye.
After seven legs with the score 5-2 in Wright's favour, Cross was averaging 26 points less than his opponent at just 82, which is well below par for this competition. After three holds of throw and a point secured for Wright at 6-3, Rob upped his scoring power to force a deciding leg at a 6-5 deficit, but Wright, sure enough, finished off the match to get his first win on the board in this campaign, although, given the performances, it was much closer than expected.
Next up was this week's challenger, Wales's own Jonny Clayton, who was up against it facing world No.5 Michael Smith. After 'The Ferret' took the first leg, it was all one way traffic though as Smith hammered in the doubles to fly ahead at 3-1, despite Clayton averaging over the ton mark in response.
In the fifth leg, Smith completely turned an already unusually supportive Welsh crowd by checking out a colossal 167 finish in rapid fire time before piling on the disarray for Clayton to open up a significant 5-1 lead.
A point was guaranteed by hitting double two of all doubles, before an effortless 142 checkout assured the misery for local hero Clayton, as Smith finished on a 105.5 average to claim his first win of the tournament.
World No.1 Michael van Gerwen took to the stage next, looking to maintain his position at the top of the table after two successive wins in the first two weeks. His opponent was youngster Nathan Aspinall, coming off some good floor form despite it not quite coming together on stage yet.
'MvG' looked to continue in the winning direction by picking up a handy fourteen dart leg for a 1-0 lead, but that was quickly vanquished as world No.8 Aspinall held his own throw that broke 'Mighty Mike' with a 110 finish.
After yet again holding throw and missing a 170 on the bullseye, Aspinall was punished by van Gerwen, who just about held it together with a double two. A finish of 73 maintained Nathan's lead though before van Gerwen smashed in three huge legs to push himself 5-4 ahead of 'The Asp'.
Aspinall was not fazed despite Michael's resurgence however, winning the next three consecutive legs, with missed darts to draw from van Gerwen in between, to provisionally top the table with a huge 7-5 victory.
A raucous reception awaited Cardiff's beloved Welshman Gerwyn Price in the fourth match of the night as he took on bottom of the league Daryl Gurney in a tight affair. Despite heavy booing against him, Gurney battled his way into a monumental 3-2 lead, holding his throw each time with some impressive finishing and an average of 105.6.
At 3-3 on Gurney's throw, 'Superchin' looked very threatened as Price kicked in with some big scoring, a 174 and 180 in the same leg, but the Welshman missed six doubles to allow the Gurney to sneak back into the lead before the Northern Irishman himself missed doubles so Price could move ahead at five legs to four.
A first potential win for Price of the campaign was quickly vanquished as Gurney took out tops to seal at least a draw at 6-5, meaning it was now Daryl on the cusp of his first win of the year, moments after gaining his first point.
This was not to be though as Price, who has already had two draws, claimed yet another with a solid final leg, anchoring Gurney to the foundation of the table for now, simultaneously staying fifth prior to the night's final match.
That match would be another clash of world champions, sandwiching the night with such matches. The favourite here was Scotland's Gary Anderson, but Glen Durrant looked to capitalise on an unusual decision from Anderson to use new equipment.
A slight change in the darts' entry to the board caused some issues early on for 'The Flying Scotsman' as Durrant cruised into a 3-0 advantage, proving last week's doubles nightmare was just an aberration. Anderson got off the mark in a somewhat unorthodox fashion, splitting double twelve and six before finally finishing on double three.
With support coming from BDO world number one Jim Williams in the crowd, 'Duzza' continued his march onwards with checkouts of 107 and 89 to cement a comfortable lead at 5-1. A scoreline of 6-1 beckoned for the Middlesbrough veteran, who left 32 from a score of 182 by hitting two treble twenties and a treble ten, but Anderson showed what he is capable of by smashing in a 122 finish via two treble eighteens and a double seven.
He finally chained two legs together to put the deficit to 5-3 with a smooth 64 out-shot but Durrant was not fazed by the threat of an apparent Anderson comeback, getting a point on the board with double eight.
Anderson would go on to get another leg but ultimately it was in vain as Durrant sealed the deal with a 7-4 victory at an average of 97 to Anderson's 96, recording a double hitting percentage of almost 54%.
That big win means Durrant is now top of the table at five points, ahead of Michael van Gerwen and his opponent next week, Nathan Aspinall, who are both now on four points. A plethora of competitors lie on three points apiece, with Smith, Wright, Price, Cross and Anderson all inseparable as Daryl Gurney got off the mark to go to a single point, yet he is still stuck to the bottom of the table.
Next week sees the players travel to Dublin as native contender William O'Connor takes on Michael van Gerwen among other mouth-watering ties in which an already tight table looks to be shaken up again.
